The Pins
by ghibli22
Summary: AU Lovino doesn't know what to do. The farm is failing, Feliciano is sick and not getting better. He's used every option, except for one. To save them he has to give something in return, something that's harder to give up then he thought. Eventual Spamano
1. Prologue

If there was one thing Lovino knew was fully his own, it was his pride. No matter what anyone else would say there was always that to hold him up. No matter what.

At least, that's what he told himself as he wandered through the graveyard. Lovino cursed as his foot came into contact with a rock protruding from the ground. Yes, his pride. His wonderful pride that attempted to fill however many holes he had in his heart. But now… he needed to do something that would tear his pride away, if only for a night.

"Three paces past the Johnson marker with the broken wing…" He muttered the instructions to himself so as not to forget a single step. As stupid as this whole idea was he couldn't think of anything else. Feliciano was sick and wasn't getting better, none of the plants on their farm were growing, and he was out of options. As far as he could tell, there wasn't anything else he could do.

"Stop at the edge of the river… spin clockwise four times and clap twice," Shit, he felt ridiculous. But nonetheless he did as the old legend instructed, spinning and clapping with the best of them. Who was he kidding. There was no way that this would wo-

"Mmm. My, my… what do we have here? A new doll for me to dance with perhaps?"

Lovino blinked. He knew that two seconds ago he was in a graveyard. He was positive!

He was surrounded by four walls with no sign of a door or any windows. Hanging from every available surface were plain, faceless white dolls. For whatever reason one was wearing a beret. Lovino was pretty sure he didn't want to know.

"Come now, you're not here to gaze at my collection… You… must… want something~"

Slowly he trained his eyes toward the end of the room. Reclining on what appeared to be a giant pincushion was a woman, skin so pale it was almost impossible to tell where the woman ended and the folds of the tight white dress began. Almost, if it weren't for the amateurish stitching covering every plane available to the light. The string was pitch black, matching the color of her eyes and the silk of her hair. Her lips were red.

Lovino watched as she slipped down the edge of her pincushion, and walked over to him with slow calculated steps, "It has been a long time indeed since I've had a visitor…" she circled him, trailing one polished finger along his shoulders. Lovino stood his ground, "Yes… so long indeed… Nevertheless a man… Boy…" the woman stopped in front of him, placing a chalky hand on his cheek, "Whatever species you happen to be… man, boy…" Bending in closer, her voice came as a whisper, "All are equally… hypnotic…"

He swallowed dryly, trying to make his worry of Feliciano replace his fear, "I-I heard that you can make someone's wishes come t-true."

She paused, "Ah, yes…" A thin smile graced he lips, making the stitches stretch as she leaned as close to his face as possible yet still not touch, "I…" she breathed, "am the Voodoo Girl…"

"G-good!" Clenching his fists at his sides Lovino took a deep breath, "I need to g-get some stuff done, and I c-can't myself."

"Yes, yes… your brother is suffering from… hypo..thermia… and your farm will not produce… and…" she stopped, traced the outline of his cheek bone, "Quite a boring need…"

"Can you do it or not, bitch!" Lovino's voice came out much stronger then it had sounded in his head. The Voodoo Girl stopped, and looked at him, "Yes, I can do it… my little love. But the reward does not come… _sans paiement._"

"Fine, whatever," he crossed his arms, "I don't care. I'll pay whatever you like. Just help me."

The Voodoo Girl glided over to a wall, every so often removing a pin from one of her little white figures. As she worked she hummed, and eventually the lyrics of a song came flittering off of her lips.

"_Her skin is white a cloth, and she's all sewn apart… and she has many colored pins sticking out of her heart…_"

The words were chilling, and Lovino felt the cool tingle of fear begin to crawl up his spine. But he had to stay strong. For Feliciano. For Feliciano.

"_She has a beautiful set of hypno-disk eyes… the ones that she uses… to draw in her guys…"_

As each pin was plucked from the skin… _cloth_ of the dolls it made a curious _zupping_ sound like a zipper makes when being finally released from an over-stuffed suitcase. One by one they fell into her hand, the pile growing bigger by the second.

"_She has many different zombies who are deeply in her trance… she even has a zombie…_" the Voodoo Girl patted the doll with the beret affectionately, "_Who was originally from France…_"

Apparently done with her collecting she moved back over to him, sliced his shirt open with one fine nail, and placed one of the pins on his skin. Lovino cried out in pain as it sunk smoothly beneath the tissue, leaving nothing but a prick. The Voodoo Girl continued to do this, still singing her song.

"_But she knows she has a curse on her… one she cannot win…_" Lovino closed his eyes. Only two more, "_For if someone gets too close to her..._" The last one floated lazily in like the rest, leaving a line of dots over his chest in the shape of a heart, "_The pins stick… farther… in._" She ended her song, placing a hand over her work, "The deed is done… man, boy."

He was breathing hard, and tried to pull his shirt back together, "So does my heart belong to you now or something?"

"Silly, silly boy…" she practically floated back to her pin cushion, reclining once again, "You will have to share my… fate. Your heat is under lock and key. You may… never give it to anyone…"

Lovino shook his head, "Wrong choice of payment, lady. There's no one who cares even a fraction for me; hell even my brother doesn't care that much. I wasn't planning on 'giving my heart' to anyone, ever."

The Voodoo Girl smiled. She raised a hand in the air as if tracing his body from where she lay, "We. Shall. See. Keep it safe… man boy. Lovino Vargas."

In the time it took to blink the shop, if one could call it that was gone. He was standing back in the graveyard, and his chest still hurt like hell. Turning Lovino started to make his way back home, crawling over forgotten graves and brambles. It was almost as if nothing had happened. But if Feliciano was better…

As he approached the gate a breeze trickled past his ear, lifting up his hair yet disturbing nothing else in the yard.

"_But she knows she has a curse on her, one she cannot win. For if someone gets to close to her…"_

He gasped and put a hand to his chest as all twenty-seven of the pricks began to sting. Looking down he watched as they all melted away, leaving nothing but his skin as it was before he made his deal. He put a hand over his heart and, rushing out of the graveyard, completed the Voodoo Girl's song for her.

"For if someone gets to close, the pins stick farther in."


	2. Chapter 1

"Hey Lovino…?"

Lovino looked up from his coffee as Feliciano sat across from him, "What is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking…" Feliciano started tracing circles on the table with one finger, "What if we hired some help around here?"

Snorting, Lovino went back to drinking his coffee, "Why would we do that? I can handle most of it myself."

"But just barely!" Reaching over Feliciano grabbed his arm, "And I'm going to be in school for another two years so I can't help out as much! And you do everything else around here so why not?"

"Because, dammit! Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Um…" Feliciano looked at his hands, "Because I already hired him…"

Lovino's eyes filled with anger, "You did what?" Standing, he grabbed Feliciano's shirt, "You idiot! We can't afford that!"

"Wah! Don't hit me!" He relaxed his grip a tad and Feliciano sniffed, "He said he'd work really cheap if he could stay here and we've got a loft in the barn. So please brother?"

Scowling, he ground out, "Fine. But if he's some lazy-ass bastard who doesn't do anything around here then you'll be the one sleeping in the barn!"

His brother brightened, flinging his arms around his neck, "Thank you thank you! I'll go let him in~!" And with that Feliciano ran out of the kitchen.

Lovino gaped after him, "He's already here and you didn't know if I'd say yes?"

"But you did didn't you?"

Grumbling, he sat down again, finishing up his coffee in an angry swig. Stupid brother…

A few minutes later Feliciano came back into the kitchen, towing someone behind him, "And this is my brother, Lovino! Lovino, this is Antonio!"

He looked up at the man who was standing at the entrance. He waved, smiling brightly, "Hi there! I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo from Spain and I love tomatoes and I-"

"I couldn't care less about your life story," Lovino scowled, "Can you work?"

Antonio nodded, "Oh yeah. I love farming and working in the fields, and I can even cook and do handyman work. Anything basically!"

"Then get to it!"

"Okay~!" Lovino watched as Antonio hurried outside. Feliciano came up behind him and hugged him.

"See? Doesn't he seem nice?"

He clicked his tongue, picking up a newspaper, "Whatever. Seems like an idiot to me."

"How can you tell that?"

About to say _Because I hang around you_ he bit it back, "I just do. Now go do your homework or something."

"Ve~ Alright. I'll go over to Ludwig's!"

He slammed the paper down, "How many times have I told you not to hang out with that stupid potato bastard!"

Feliciano grabbed his bag of a kitchen chair and ran out, "But he's really nice and helps me with my science!"

"So what? He's still a-!" He was cut off when he heard the front door slam closed. Groaning he rubbed his eyes, then stood and put his mug in the sink. He would wash it later. Or maybe get Feliciano to do it.

Snagging some work gloves from the coat rack Lovino slipped them on, picking up the clippers from where they were leaning against the wall. Walking outside he tossed them at the closest tree, hauling the stepladder out from under the porch. On his way he passed Antonio, the man already hard at work and hoeing up weeds from the rows of tomato plants. He waved. Lovino didn't acknowledge his presence.

Setting the ladder up close to the old peach tree he climbed up and started to trim off the branches. He let out a sigh, quickly falling into a familiar rhythm. At least this was something he was good at. Sure, his brother might be good at all the household stuff, but this was real work. Leaning forward he reached out to clip one stubborn twig…

"Mr. Vargas?"

And almost fell off the ladder. Dropping the clippers he snarled down at the new hired help, "You bastard you almost made me slip!"

Antonio grinned sheepishly, "Sorry. But I just wanted to ask you something."

"Bathroom's inside on the left. Now leave me alone."

"No that's not it!" The Spaniard laughed, as if he found everything in the world immensely funny, or someone had just told him some private joke, "I was just wondering if I could plant a small garden of my own. For vegetables."

"Yeah, sure. Just use real seeds bastard."

"Real seeds? Are there fake seeds?"

Lovino rolled his eyes and started heading down the ladder to retrieve his clippers, "Idiot. First of all there are-!"

When the rung below his foot snapped he closed his eyes shut tight, ready to meet the ground. He knew he should have replaced that ladder. But the impact never came. Carefully he opened one eye, then the other to find himself in Antonio's arms. The man smiled down at him, "You okay, Mr. Vargas?"

He blushed, "I'm fi-!" Again he was cut of as pain rippled through his body. Rolling out of Antonio's arms and onto the ground, he clutched at his chest, gasping for air. Goddamn, it hurt! For a second he thought he was going to die and as suddenly as it had come the pain was gone. He gasped, finally able to suck enough air into his lungs and fell back onto his side, eyes closed.

"Lovino!"

There was a hand on his back, and before he could comprehend what was happening he was being lifted into the air. Putting a hand over his face he winced, his head starting to hurt from the suddenness of… whatever that was.

When Lovino opened his eyes he found himself lying on the porch swing, two worried green orbs staring back down at him. He scowled, sitting up, "Bastard, you didn't have to carry me. I'm fine."

"But Mr. Vargas…" Antonio wrung his hands, "You looked like you were in real pain! There might be something wrong!"

"Look!" He stood up to his full height, cursing inwardly that Antonio was taller than him anyway, "You work for me! So don't go telling me what I should do!"

Antonio bit his lip, silencing himself from speaking again. Lovino crossed his arms, "Now what did you want?"

"Oh. Right!" Antonio smiled, "I was wondering about a garden…"

"Sure, whatever. Come on, I'll show you where you sleep."

As he crossed the field to the barn, Antonio following close behind, Lovino couldn't help but rub at his chest where the pain had tore through everything in his conscious. It seemed fine now, except for the dull ache of memory. His fingers felt warm against his shirt, but he couldn't figure out if that was from his hand or his chest.

Walking into the barn he hurried across the hay-strewn floor to a stair at the opposite end. He pointed, "You sleep up there. There's a bed and bathroom and electricity too."

Antonio beamed, "Great! That's great."

"Whatever. Just get back to work already."

But as he started back out he felt a hand on his arm. Lovino turned, face heating at the sight of Antonio's warm smile directed exactly at him, "Thank you. It really means a lot that I can stay here."

The skin on his arm in contact with Antonio's hand flared up in white hot pain. It rushed up his shoulder and back down to his chest where it stayed, tearing into him. Life was a blur as he pushed past Antonio, ran outside and emptied the contents of his stomach. What was this? It hurt so goddamn much!

Breathing hard he wiped his mouth, leaning against the barn for support. Reaching up he pulled apart the buttons of his shirt, looking down at the source of his agony.

Lovino was shocked to find twenty seven pinpricks surrounding his heart, throbbing with every beat.


	3. Chapter 2

Lovino spent the rest of the day in his room. He stared at himself in the mirror, tracing over the markings over and over again. With each pass of his finger they throbbed gently, warm to the touch. He grimaced. What the hell was going on? It wasn't like he had forgotten his deal with that stupid witch but...

"Dammit, why now?" he whispered to his reflection, making another swipe over his chest, "Some kind of dumb reminder?"

The front door slammed, "Ve, Lovino! I'm home~!"

Scowling he re-buttoned his shirt. Whatever was going on he wasn't going to let Feliciano know about it. Sitting at his desk he ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a pencil and tapping against the wood for a minute before pulling out some paperwork and trying to concentrate.

A few minutes later Feliciano can barreling in, "Brother!"

Jumping, Lovino whirled around, "Knock next time, idiot!"

Feliciano smiled, "I just wanted to make sure you knew I was back from Ludwig's place!"

Rolling his eyes he turned back to his work, "Yeah, I heard you come in. Now leave me alone so I can work!"

Coming up behind him the younger brother wrapped his arms around his shoulders in a hug, "Okay~! I'll make dinner if you want!"

At the suggestion of food Lovino's stomach rumbled, "Make it quick. I forgot to eat lunch."

"Alright!" Feliciano gave a salute and hurried out again, eager to get to his duty. Lovino turned back to his paperwork, trying to make his eyes focus on the small letters and numbers.

"Screw this!" he flung his pencil against the wall, flopping back in his chair. He was too damn distracted to do anything now. As smells of pasta and their own tomato sauce wafted up to his room he closed his eyes, allowing himself for just a moment to relax, to be nothing at all but a guy in a chair. But soon enough, his hand once again drifted to his chest, worrying over the skin that marked his payment.

"Lovino~! Dinner is ready!"

Sighing Lovino stood and straightened his shirt. Whatever, it didn't matter. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked downstairs, nudging the kitchen door open with his shoulder. He stopped.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?"

Antonio looked up sheepishly from where he was grating cheese over three plates of pasta, "H-hey there, Mr. Vargas…"

"Oh, don't call him that, Antonio!" Feliciano rushed over, apron stained by tomato sauce and grabbed his arm, "We're all friends! You can call him Lovino!"

He scowled, "Shut up, Feliciano! I'll be referred to however I damn well please!"

His brother giggled, "Or you could call him Lovi, like when we were kids!"

Antonio's face lit up, "That's such a cute name!"

"Feliciano!" Face bright red, Lovino grabbed Feliciano's shirt, "I told you not to call me that!"

"Don't hurt me! Help! Help!"

Shoving Feliciano off him he sat down at the table, crossing his arms and glaring at the wall. Stupid Feliciano. Inviting people over without asking him first. Stupid…

Walking over with a couple of plates Antonio smiled at him again, "Thanks for letting me stay, Lovi!"

Grabbing a butter knife, Lovino held it to the Spanish man's throat, "I'm not the one who let you stay, bastard! And if you ever call me that again I'm going jam this knife into you're vocal chords."

Antonio laughed. He laughed, that asshole, "But that's just a butter knife! You couldn't do much with that."

Sending his dirtiest look at the new handyman he slowly pulled the utensil away, "It would do enough."

"Come on, brother!" Feliciano skipped up, plopping down in his chair, "Let's eat! Or else it'll get cold!"

He sat, frowning at his food and ignoring whatever conversation the two idiots were diving into. After a while he started to eat, shoveling the food into his mouth as his stomach reminded him of his missed lunch. Soon enough his plate was empty, smears of tomato sauce the only evidence of food left to decorate the porcelain.

"Wow, Lovino. You must have been really hungry! Then again I didn't see you after you showed me the barn…"

"Shut up. So what if I was hungry, jackass?"

Antonio laughed again and Lovino glared. But then… Antonio looked at him. Not laughing or talking, just… looking at him. He felt shivers race up and down his spine as Antonio's gaze bore into him, a mixture of kindness, curiosity and… something he couldn't really define. And he couldn't help but stare back, mouth hanging open slightly.

"Will you do the dishes, brother?"

A small sting on his chest. Like a mosquito bite, or the prick of a needle. But after what had happened that day he wasn't taking any chances. Leaping up he said in a rush, "I'm going to bed!" and raced out of the room.

Antonio's voice offering to do the dishes chased him all the way to his room, only blocked by the slamming of the door and the sound of the lock slipping into place. His fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as he walked over to the mirror, the simple act of undoing just one seeming to take hours in his rush.

For the second time that day Lovino pulled his shirt off, gazing at his chest with wide eyes. Somehow, the tiny read bead blossoming at one of the pinpricks didn't surprise him.

For the rest of the week things seemed work out fine. Lovino went back to working as normal, cursing/ignoring the new farm hand. But no matter what, Antonio would just laugh and go back to weeding through the rows of tomato plants. So far, he hadn't found a reason to fire him. This fact annoyed him. A lot. Not to mention the stabbing pain that shot through him every single day. What the hell was that about?

Lovino sighed, leaning against the window sill and pondering the bandage over his heart again. If it had happened one that would have been understandable but every day?

"Okay!" he shouted into the night, "I get it! I'm still under that stupid spell!"

But no one answered him, the only sound the wind rustling through their tomato plants. Rolling his eyes he slipped off the sill and starting to close the window.

"…And then I was awesome!"

He stopped, the window mere inches from being shut tight, straining to listen.

"And the Gilbird was awesome too, of course!"

Sliding the window back open he leaned out, scowling, "What the hell are you doing at my house you damn potato bastard?"

Gilbert Beilschmidt looked back up at him, grinning manically, "Hey there, not-as-awesome-as-me!"

"Get out of my yard!"

"Oh but Lovino…" Appearing out of the bushes behind Gilbert came Francis Bonnefoy, and his scowl deepened, "We're not here for any sinister reason."

"There's always something sinister going on when you're around dammit!"

"Gilbert! Francis!"

Lovino blinked, looking into the fields as Antonio ran their way from the barn. For once he was dressed in a fairly nice shirt, hair combed back and relatively tamed for once. Upon seeing him, Antonio smiled, "Hey there Lovino! Isn't it kind of late?"

"Yeah it is! Where the hell are you going?"

"Out with my friends!"

He glanced at Francis and Gilbert, the later of which was currently poking an over-ripe tomato and mumbling something about it being disgusting, "You're _friends_ with these village idiots?"

"Uh-huh!" Antonio replied, oblivious to his opinion of them, "When I first moved here, they were my roommates!"

"Oh that explains it…" Lovino mumbled, rolling his eyes. He almost pitied the man. He might have been normal once.

"Hey Lovino!" He looked back down at the Spaniard, "Do you want to come with us?"

Lovino hesitated. But why? There was no way he wanted to spend a night with Gilbert and Francis of all people. What the hell was stopping him? "Wh-why should I?"

Antonio looked confused, then brightened, "Because I want you to!"

He shouldn't. It was totally stupid, idiotic, and why would he- "Fine, I'll go, bastard."

_Why the _hell_ did I ever agree to this? _Lovino screamed in his mind. The evening was as stupid as he thought it would be, with Prussia getting drunk within the first fifteen minutes, and Francis creeping out every waiter that had the unfortunate luck of stopping by their table. And that stupid, _jackass_ Antonio was even stupider and even more of an ass when he was intoxicated.

"Lovi~!" Antonio crooned, wrapping an arm around him, "Are you having a good time?"

He grimaced at the name, wanting nothing more then to punch him in the face, "No, I'm not dammit!"

Pouting, Antonio looked at him with big eyes, "But why? Its so nice here!"

While Francis snickered from the other side of the table Lovino pushed him off, "You're drunk, asshole!"

Laughing, Antonio leaned on him again, "Only a little. I've been much more drunk then this before!"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Is Lovi worried about me?"

If he'd been paying attention to himself, Lovino might have noticed the fleeting prick that stung his chest. But the pain was small and insignificant while the music in the bar was loud and the Spaniard hanging over him absolutely intolerable. Either way, he blushed, "Of course not, bastard! And don't call me that!"

Antonio smiled dreamily, "But it's so cute…" He looked like he was thinking which must have been a huge event for him, "And you're cute so it matches you perfectly!"

Lovino froze, halfway to pushing him off again, "What did you just say?"

"You're cute, Lovi!"

The only warning was the rush in his ears, like the ocean before the rip tide washes you out to sea. But before the pain could drag him under he leapt up, knocking Antonio over and ran to the bathroom, gasping for air and wishing that the pins burying themselves in his heart would pull back if only they could pull back…

He slammed the bathroom door closed, muffling the sounds of the music outside. Collapsing against the brick wall he hunched over, choking back sounds of pain as he clutched at his chest. If only there was some way to make it stop. God, he would do anything just to make this pain go away…!

Whether it was hours or minutes he spent on the floor Lovino couldn't tell. It felt like an eternity of that goddamn, white hot stabbing pain. When it finally drifted away he climbed shakily to his feet, clutching at the sink for support. Twisting the handle with a squeak cold water rushed into the bowl only to be slapped onto his face seconds later. He sucked in a breath and started to peel back his shirt, reveling the bandage he had attached earlier.

"That's gross dammit…" he whispered weakly, carefully peeling off the red-soaked cloth taped to his skin. He grimaced at his reflection, the pricks outlining his heart red and agitated. Grabbing a paper towel he soaked that as well, carefully washing away the dried blood that had adhered itself to his chest.

"Lovino?"

Shit, he forgot to lock the door! Whipping around Lovino made a grab for the handle but it was too late, and Francis' blond head had already poked inside. Hurriedly he tried to cover up his chest, "What the hell is you're problem? Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

He watched as Francis looked from the towel in his hand to the hand covering his chest, "I simply wanted to see if you were feeling alright."

"Well I'm fine, asshole," he turned away, "So leave me alone."

Before he knew what was going on Francis spun him back around, pulling the hand from his torso. His face heated up as the marks were exposed to the light, "Well this is quite interesting…" Francis said, raising an eyebrow.

"G-get off of me!" Lovino stuttered, pushing the Frenchman away, "Its nothing!"

"This is most certainly not nothing, _mon petit_," the man stuffed his hands in his pockets, "You have had a run in with the Voodoo Girl, _non_?"

The color drained from his face, "How-how did you-?"

Francis grinned, "Because there are some tings that I make it my business to know. But to think that you had fallen for our little Antonio…"

Once again his face flared up, his heart throbbing, "Like hell I have!" he shouted, "Why would I fall in love with that bastard?"

Shrugging, Francis leaned against the wall, "The heart knows these things much earlier then the head, Lovino. It won't be long before your brain catches up. And by the looks Antonio gives you I would suggest that he will eventually realize that he feels the same."

Lovino eyed him warily, "And how would you know all of this?"

Francis merely grinned, "I am French. We speak the language of _l'amour_ very well."

Glaring at him he placed a hand over his chest again, mind working in overtime, "So what if you're right? Not that I'm saying you are dammit! What happens?"

At this Francis' face grew serious, "You must leave."

"What? Why?"

"_The pins stick farther in,_ Lovino. The closer you get to Antonio, the greater and greater the pain."

He scowled, "And then what happens?"

"If you do not leave, the pins surrounding you're heart will continue to sink in deeper. And once they do that, you will die."

Lovino took a few shaky steps back, running into the sink, "I'll… I'll die?" But what about Feliciano? The farm? What would happen if he left? His brother couldn't take care of himself. And where the hell would he go?

Francis nodded, "The only way is to get as far away as you can."

Covering his face he took a few deep breathes, feeling the air fill his lungs and chest. He… he would have to. Move somewhere far, get a job. He could send money to Feliciano…

Firm in his decision he straightened up, closing his shirt again, "How do you know so much about this anyway?"

The Frenchman smiled, almost sadly, "Because one upon a time, she captured my heart."

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out! I've had major writers block issues and enough school work to amount to a forest of trees. And then I finally upload and its this piece of fail. So I'm sorry and I hope you'll continue reading anyway :)


	4. Chapter 3

Lovino left the bar in a rush, not bothering to look back at the table. All he had to do was get home, grab some stuff and get out of there. Walking into his house he closed the door quietly, hoping not to wake up Feliciano. If he had to face that crybaby before he left… Well then he might not be able to, even if he did die.

Hurriedly running up to his room he grabbed a shoulder bag and threw it on the bed, shoving whatever clothes he could get his hands on inside. He had to be quick. Before that…. _idiot... bastard _Antonio came back. And before Feliciano woke up.

Shrugging on a coat Lovino walked downstairs with his bag, taking his time to take in every detail of the place he had called home for most of his life. Dammit… he couldn't believe this… Quickly he scratched out a note for Feliciano, leaving it on the pasta where he'd be sure to find it. He sighed, pulling his coat closer around his shoulders. This was it. Walking outside he grabbed a tomato and started to make his way to the bus stop. One last bit of his old life.

Before turning the corner to the stop he looked back, at the farm and the rows of tomatoes, the faint glow of the nightlight from Feliciano's room. Home. His home.

Feliciano's home.

Taking a bite out of his tomato he turned, running to the pole that marked the stop. He looked out at the open road, sucking the juice out of the ripe fruit in his hand. This was his home now.

"Come on, Antonio!" Bella said, crossing her arms, "God, you're so slow."

The Spaniard smiled sheepishly, hefting his overnight bag over his shoulder, "It wasn't my fault the bus was late…"

Bella rolled her eyes but grinned at him, taking his hand, "You just have a knack for being late. Now let's stop chatting in the street and get to my place!"

Antonio nodded, eagerly following his friend back to her apartment, "It's been far too long, Bella."

"You're telling me!" Taking her keys out she let them in, grabbing his bag and swinging it to the side as she plopped down on the couch, "It's been what, two years?"

"Something like that," he replied, slipping off his mud-caked boots and sitting next to her, "I would have gotten come sooner if my boss wasn't so forgetful about my vacation days. But that's why I get to be here for a whole week!"

Nodding, Bella stood and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses, "So tell me about this job that keeps you so busy you can't even bother to call."

He laughed, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you."

"You better!" Bringing back the wine she flopped once again onto the cushions, pulling the ribbon out of her hair, "So talk, Carriedo."

Antonio laughed again, accepting his wine graciously, "Let's see… I work on a farm where they grow tomatoes. I get to live there too, in a loft above the barn. It's really nice."

"Sounds perfect for you," Leaning back, Bella rested her feet over his lap, "What about this boss? He treat you okay?"

"Feliciano? Yeah, he's fine! Really nice and bright. Just a little spacey."

"Like you?"

They laughed together, "I guess, huh? But…" swirling the wine around he frowned, "Feli was a lot happier before Lovi went away…"

Bella looked at him curiously, "Lovi?"

"Feliciano's brother… A few days after I arrived he just up and left. No note or anything. Every so often he'll get a letter and every month he gets sent a check, but there's never any return address."

"That's weird… I wonder if-" Bella was cut off mid sentence, yelping as her phone let loose a loud medley of sound and vibrations. She shot an apologetic look his way before pressing the device to her ear, "Hello?"

He watched her pause for a minute before a large smile spread over her face, "So you're the one who took it!…. No, its okay, I was already done with it…. You liked it? I knew you would! I was actually going to recommend it to you…. Yeah, bring it over. I have a friend I want you to meet."

She hung up, throwing yet another apologetic look at him, "Is that okay?"

"Fine! I always like meeting new people."

"Well, I was going to introduce you two anyway…"

Antonio set his empty glass down on the coffee table, "Who is she?"

"He, actually," she brought her knees up under her, "Kind of a brat, but nice at heart. We started working in the coffee store down the street on the same day and we both needed someone to talk two. He looked really messed up. Family troubles, or something."

"What's his name?"

"Romano," she smiled as the doorbell wrung, "And there he is!" Hopping up, Bella ran over to the door and flung it open, "Hey, Romano!"

Lovino Vargas smiled at her, "I can't stay for lo-"

"Lovino?"

Antonio couldn't believe his eyes. Lovino, standing right in front of him. The Italian's eyes widened, book falling from his grasp and onto the floor. His mouth dropped open, "A-Antonio…!"

Bella looked between the two, "You know each other?"

In a flash he was up, next to Lovino in a moment, "Where did you go? What happened?"

This Lovino was different from the one he knew. His hair was darker, but the natural lightness still showed at the roots. There were dark bags under his eyes, and the way he held himself made him look… small somehow. But familiar hazel eyes stared back into his own all the same.

"Lovi?"

The nickname seemed to snap the man back into reality. Eyes going wide he took a step back, placing a hand over his chest, "No! Get out of here!"

He felt his face fall, "But Lovino…" gently he reached out, touching his shoulder.

Antonio was sure he would never forget the resulting cry of pain that erupted from Lovino's mouth. In seconds he was on the floor, clutching at his shirt and gasping for air, sweat breaking out on his face and his whole body shaking.

"Romano!"

Bella bent next to him, grasping his hand, "Romano, hang on!" She looked at him, "Call an ambulance!"

* * *

This is totally a filler chapter. But the next one is better (and longer) and the last chapter, so I hope you stick around!


	5. Chapter 4

Antonio hated hospitals. Everything about them set his nerves on edge. From the white walls and the smell of antiseptic...

He involuntarily shivered in his seat. Bella was sitting next to him, wringing her hands out of worry. Gently he put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile despite the worries that plagued his own mind.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" she said, voicing the question that had been tormenting both of them.

"I hope so... I don't know what Feliciano would do without him."

She gave him a look, "So... Did you say his name was Lovino?"

"Yeah," he shifted in his seat, "The one who disappeared that I was telling you about."

"Hmm..." Bella put her head in her hands, "So weird..."

Just then a man walked over to them, white coat swishing around his knees, "Are you the two who checked Mr. Vargas in?"

Antonio stood, as did Bella, "That's right. How is he?"

"Are you family?"

Bella looked distraught, "We-"

"We're the only ones he has left," Antonio cut in. To come this far and not find out what happened would be torture.

The doctor seemed satisfied with their answer, "I'm afraid Mr. Vargas has had, in layman's terms, a heart attack."

Bella grabbed his hand, shaking, "A-a heart attack?"

The doctor nodded, looking solemn, "He's stable at the moment, but we are still trying to determine the cause. You can probably visit in a couple of hours."

Sinking back into the chair, Bella let out a breath, "Thank you... Will he be okay?"

"As we have yet to determine the cause, we can not be sure of that at this moment. But we will keep you informed."

Antonio smiled shakily, "Thank you again. I'm sure he'll pull through," Yet the words that sounded from his lips were more for his own reassurance then the doctor's. As the man left he laid back in the chair and closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing mind.

A faint buzzing in his pocket made him open his eyes again. Slipping his hand into his coat he extracted the tomato red device, pressing it to his ear, "Hello?"

_"Antonio!"_ Francis crooned into his ear, _"How are your first moments of vacation?"_

Antonio let out a deep sigh, "Not so good, Francis..."

_"Pour quoi? I thought you were going to see your lady friend."_

He rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I did. But then, you're never going to believe this, I found Lovino and-"

_"Wait, you found Lovino? As in Lovino Vargas?"_

"Yeah, crazy right? But the second I see him, he has some kind of a heart attack! And now Bella and I are in the hospital."

There was silence from the other end, _"Antonio, you need to come home right now."_

He blinked, "But what about Lovi?"

_"If you don't want Lovino to die then come home."_

**XXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Antonio was standing next to the entrence of the town graveyard, waiting for Francis. The only thing on his mind was Lovino... Was he all right? Could he be dead by now? And how did his being here solve anything? He... He wanted to be there for Lovino.

"Antonio!"

He looked up from his shoes as Francis walked up to him, looking distressed, "I'm glad you got here."

Antonio stepped forward, "Francis! What's going on? What does my being here have to do with Lovi?"

The Frenchman shook his head, "I'll explain on the way. Follow me," And with that he headed off into the graveyard. Antonio had no choice but to follow.

"Antonio," Francis said suddenly, "what are your feelings toward the elder Vargas brother?"

He couldn't help but blush, "M-my feelings? Well, he's a nice guy and all... And cute."

Francis stopped next to a river, "Because Lovino is hopelessly in love with you."

The red in his cheeks increased, "He-he is?"

"Yes, and if you do not have feelings for him in return then we might as well go back home."

Antonio looked down at his feet, "I... I'm not really sure. I think I feel... something for him. If I think about it I was really sad when he went away and I was always wondering what happened to him. I missed him. A lot."

Francis glanced at him, "That's good enough for now... Now spin four times clockwise and clap twice."

"Why?"

"Because that's what needs to be done to get to her."

Together they spun and clapped, and if anyone passing by were to look, they would have seen two idiots vanish.

"Well... Well, well. What do we have here? Two men to grace my presence...?"

Antonio stared dumbfounded at the room. Dolls everywhere, and a giant pincushion at the back with a woman in white reclining on it. He turned to ask Francis where they were, only to find his friend in a deep bow.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, _mademoiselle_."

The woman smiled seductively, slipping off the cushion and gliding over to him, offering her hand, "Hello, Francis."

Antonio watched him take her hand, kissing her fingers, "If only I could kiss those blood red lips of yours."

"Ah... But that would be breaking the rules," she extended a long finger nail, sliding it up his neck until he was standing in front of her, "How is your little... Matthew?"

Francis closed his eyes, "He is much better. But that is not why I'm here," Eyes opening again, the blue orbs landed on him. Antonio jumped as the woman turned her head, looking him up and down as if she were reading into his soul.

"Yes... You are the man... The one Lovino Vargas' heart has chosen..."

He blinked, "How did you...? Who are you?"

"Francis," the woman turned her cold black eyes back on his friend, "Leave us."

Once again Francis bowed, "As you wish," And then he was gone. Leaving him alone.

"Now..." She floated across to him and he stiffened instinctually. She circled him, dark eyes boring into his skin, "I... Am the Voodoo Girl. What is it..." she ran a finger down his cheek, "you want of... me?"

Antonio swallowed, "What did you do to Lovino?"

The Voodoo Girl grinned, a look he was not at all comfortable with, "I did nothing... That the man-boy did not ask for himself."

"But what did you do?"

Lazily she traced her nail over his chest, making his whole body shiver, "He was drowning in... life. He needed help. So in return..." she swiped the nail across where his heart was, and Antonio could feel the skin stinging below his shirt, "I made his share my... My fate. And I stuck twenty-seven needles into his heart."

His eyes widened, "But why? What would that do?"

"If Lovino Vargas should ever feel the... pull of love. If he should ever want to... give his heart to someone... Then just the same as I... His heart will be impaled... Those beautiful shinning pins digging into the warm muscle..." She tilted her head as if listening to the radio, "Yes, he thought he could run. But... fate has a fun way of messing up plans. Oh yes..." She took a hold of his chin, examining his face, "You took quite a toll on him... This time. Almost gone..."

"A-almost gone?"

"Yes... Almost to never feel the struggle of life... Again."

"No!" he jerked his head away, "I won't let that happen!"

The Voodoo Girl began to circle him again, an odd iciness to her pitch black eyes, "Why? You have no feelings for him. You don't _love_ him."

"I... I... Well-"

"What would you care... If the Vargas man-boy died?"

He whirled around to face her, "Because I do care! Because I don't want Lovi to die! Because..." his voice drifted off, and almost to himself he continued, "maybe I do love him..."

"So in that case," suddenly she was right in front of him, cold black orbs gazing into his eyes, "Why should I help you? Why should I help you love when I never can?"

Antonio's eyes softened, and quietly he said, "I'm sorry. Please, just help him."

The Voodoo Girl pulled back, smoothly returning to her impartial observation of him, "There will be... A price... Of course."

"Of course," he echoed, nodding, "I'll do anything."

And slipping a sewing needle out of her dress she plunged it into his throat.

**XXXXXXXX**

Lovino woke up in a land of white. Dammit, he hated hospitals. To sterile.

"Romano!"

He tried to sit up, wincing and falling back on the bed. Bella was over next to him in an instant, taking his hand, "Hey... How are you feeling?"

Lovino glared at her, "Do I really need to answer that?"

She chuckled, "I guess not. Anyway, Antonio was here and-"

Eyes flashing he tried to sit up again before the pain in his chest forced him back down. Yes he was scared. The very person he was trying to get away from was here, had found him again. And shit, he didn't want to die! "Get him out of here!"

"Romano, calm down," Gently Bella settled him back on the bed, "He's not here."

He blinked at her, "He's not? Where is that bastard?"

"I don't know really... he just kind of took off a couple of hours ago and hasn't come back."

Allowing himself a moment of relief he closed his eyes. Okay, so maybe if the tomato bastard wasn't in the hospital he could get away. Go farther this time; make sure he could never be found again. But even as he made his plans, he couldn't stop the nagging curiosity at the back of his mind as to where the hell Antonio went.

Bella sat down on the bed next to him, taking his hand, "So what happened? Antonio told me your name was Lovino? Not Romano?"

Flushing slightly he looked away, "Nothing happened... It's complicated dammit."

Her laughed rang through the room, "Which is it?"

Lovino scowled, "Just... Something happened. So I had to leave. That's all."

She sighed, "As difficult as always, aren't you?"

They both glanced at the door as someone knocked. Bella gave his hand a squeeze before standing and walking out of the room, talking to whoever was outside. Probably a doctor or something, saying they couldn't find the cause of his heart attack. Like it was some goddamn mystery.

Groaning he ran a hand over his chest like he had done thousands of times before. That stupid, idiotic, asshole, bastard... Antonio. With his damn smile and his damn wavy hair and his... goddamn green eyes that looked at him as if he was more then just another brat. But Antonio didn't- Antonio _couldn't_ love him back. He was a jerk when they met, it had been two years and he was still a jerk. But it had served him well in the past so why should he change for some dumbass that made him want to rip his own heart out? It wasn't... It wasn't logical.

A few minutes later Bella came back in, a worried look in her eyes as if she had a lot on her mind, "Romano..."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it?"

"Antonio's here. He wants to see you."

"No way in hell! Keep him out of here!"

She winced at his screaming, "He told me you'd say something like that, but he wants me to tell you... It was something weird. I think it was that he went to see her, he paid the compensation, and now you're safe. And that you would know what he meant?"

Lovino gaped at her. Of course be knew what it meant, how could he not? But how the hell did that bastard know... "Fine. Just send him in."

Bella nodded before going out again, Antonio coming in a few seconds later with a note pad under one arm and smiling like the idiot he was. Lovino eyed him warily, pushing back against the sheets Antonio ripped out a page and handed it to him.

_Hi Lovi!_

He scowled at the note, "Bastard. How the hell did you know about the Voodoo Girl?"

Pulling up a chair, Antonio took the note back, scribbling something at the bottom.

_Francis told me about you and her. He helped me see her._

"That wine bastard..." he growled, then looked back at Antonio, "Hey. Why aren't you saying anything?"

The Spaniard looked sad for a moment before starting a new note, this one taking a bit longer like he was being careful with his words. He crossed his arms over his chest, both waiting and protecting himself even though nothing had happened to him yet. Eventually Antonio ripped the page out, folding it in half and handing it to him. Quickly he unfolded it and started reading.

_This is my price, Lovi. We spoke for a while, and she removed the pins from your heart in exchange for my voice. I'm just so happy that you won't die now._

Lovino gaped at the note, then at Antonio. The man was smiling gently, "Wh-what? Bastard, why the hell would you do that for me? And how is your voice enough compensation for my life?"

Antonio started writing again, pen moving across the page in fast strokes of ink.

_I think that never being able to say "I love you" in my own voice so your ears can hear it_ _is a pretty high price. Don't you?_

"L-l-love?" He turned panicked eyes on Antonio, "Love?"

Smiling brightly Antonio nodded, reaching out to take his hand. Lovino prepared for the worst, squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the pain to shoot up his arm and for the world to go black for the last time.

But nothing happened. Hesitantly he opened his eyes again. Antonio was still holding his hand, smiling at him. And there was no pain.

His mouth fell open, "Holy shit..."

Antonio leaned forward, gently brushing their lips together. As his face flooded with heat, his heart raced unimpaired in his chest and he tried to re-gather his scrambled thoughts, Antonio started to write, filling almost the whole page with his script before handing it over.

_So what do you say? We can go back and see your brother again on the farm. We can harvest tomatoes together, and learn sign language together, and live together. We can have a home together, we can kiss and snuggle and hug and be in love because I know that if you didn't love me neither of us would be here right now. I know that this is the only way I can talk to you right now, and I know that I can never tell you I love you. But I do, and I want to be with you. I love you. I never want to be away from you again. So, Lovino Vargas, brother of Feliciano and so cute you make me want to scream. Will you stay with me? Please?_

For a long time Lovino stared at the page. Antonio sat patiently at his side, smiling gently. He glanced over at him, then back at the paper, "Give me that pen, dammit!" He snatched it from his hand and scribbled something down quickly before crumpling it up and throwing it across the room, crossing his arms and pouting before looking away, "I'm not cute, jackass..."

Looking confused Antonio got to his feet, walking over to where the crumpled paper landed. Lovino's face filled with heat yet again as he pushed deeper into the hospital sheets. He closed his eyes. A few seconds later he felt Antonio's weight next to him and he cracked one of his eyes again, "What do you want, bastard?"

And then their lips met. And this time Lovino kissed back. Antonio cupped his face gently, as he ran his hand through chocolate brown hair. He was struck by the fact that even now, his lips tasted like tomatoes.

"I love you Antonio... Tomato bastard..."

Antonio mouthed the words back.

They kissed again and the paper fell out of Antonio's hand to the floor, the text open to the florescent lights. And underneath Antonio's smooth handwriting was one word scrawled out in Lovino's sloppy hand.

_Fin_

A/N: So that's the end folks~ Or is it...? I _might_ be writing a little one shot sequel but I'm not sure... But either way, thanks for sticking with the story to the end :3


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